No leak maternity active legging

ABSTRACT

A garment, which includes a belly panel, a back panel, a front portion, and a contoured front seamwork positioned between the belly panel and the front portion. The contoured front seamwork attaches the belly panel and the front portion and extends substantially in a U-shape to provide support to a protruding belly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationNo. 62/660,504 filed on Apr. 20, 2018. The subject matter of theaforementioned prior application is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a garment which provides support to awoman's abdomen during pregnancy and which helps reduce or preventleakage through the clothing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pregnancy and stages during postpartum require clothing that isspecialized for the changing body of a woman. Specifically, it isimportant to have clothing which is comfortable throughout the variousstages of a changing body while maintaining the aesthetics and qualityof the product. The present invention provides a solution to this need.

SUMMARY

The present invention is directed to a garment which includes a bellypanel, a back panel, a front portion, and a contoured front seamworkpositioned between the belly panel and the front portion. The contouredfront seamwork attaches the belly panel and the front portion andextends in a U-shape and is formed by flatlock stitching includingthreads composed of polyester and threads composed of nylon. Thecontoured seamwork and the front portion are designed to support aprotruding belly. The garment can also include an elastic band at a topportion of the garment for better fitting and to hold the garment on thewearer. The garment also includes front waist portions and front legportions which are joined to each other by a curved seam. The materialsthat can be used for the fabric of the garment can be one or more of thefollowing: nylon (such as Supplex branded nylon or other types ofnylon), spandex (such as Lycra branded spandex or materials containingpolyurethane or polyether-polyurea copolymers), polyester (such asCoolmax branded polyester), cotton, rayon, and/or wool. Most, if notall, of the fabrics of the garment are made of a fabric having two ormore layers. The crotch area of the garment and/or a bottom portion ofthe garment includes a water proof layer. Center portions of the garmentcan also include a water proof layer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a garment according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the garment according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the garment according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 shows a front view of the garment according to the presentinvention showing the location of different layers of fabric.

FIG. 5 shows a back view of the garment according to the presentinvention showing the location of different layers of fabric.

FIG. 6 shows a partial enlarged front view of the garment according tothe present invention.

FIG. 7 shows a partial enlarged rear view of the garment according tothe present invention.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of the garment according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 shows a partial bottom view of the garment according to thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a garment that can be worn by awoman who is pregnant or who has given birth and the woman's body ischanging back to a pre-pregnancy shape. The present invention has anumber of advantages including expandability and specialized seamwork toaccommodate a changing shape and stitching to reduce chafing and improveelasticity. The garment is made of comfortable and absorbent fabricswhich are designed for support and to reduce or inhibit leaking.

The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description ofsome, but not all, of the configurations of the subject technology andis not intended to represent an exhaustive list. The detaileddescription includes specific details for the purpose of providing athorough understanding of the present invention and subject technology.The subject invention and technology is not limited to the specificdetails set forth herein and may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques havenot been shown or described in detail so as not to obscure thedisclosure.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a garment 1 according to the presentinvention. The garment includes a belly panel 3 which is preferablydesigned to cover the wearer's entire belly region beginning from thepubic bone and extending over the wearer's abdomen. The belly panel 3 isformed from a fabric which is elastically expandable and contractible.For example, the belly panel may be manufactured as a knitted fabricwith elastic, stretchable strands. The knitted fabric can bestretchable, and the strands can be stretchable too. The belly panel 3is adjacent to contoured front seamwork 5 and contoured seamwork 5 isconfigured to accommodate an expansion of the fabric (due to a growingbelly) while maintaining the shape of the front panel 25 and support ofthe belly. The seamwork 5 preferably has a curved shape which issubstantially a “U” shape. The seamwork 5 and circumferential portion 13define the front portion 25. The belly panel 3 can be made of aperformance fabric, as defined below. The seamwork 5 is curved to givesupport as well as to maintain and reinforce the preferable “U” shape tofront portion 25. The front portion 25 plus the stitching 5 providesupport to a protruding abdomen. The garment 1 includes one or morecurved joining seams 17. On the front of the garment 1, the joiningseams 17 begin on the side of the garment 1 designed to be on or near ahip portion of the wearer. As the seams 17 advance toward the center ofthe garment 1 (when viewed from the front), the seams 17 curve down to acenter portion of the garment 1. The center portion of the garment 1 canbe designed to be positioned on the pubic bone of the wearer.

The front rise of the garment 1 is defined by the length of centerstitching 19 starting a at a bottom portion 21 of center stitching 19and ending at a top portion 23 of center stitching 19. The front rise isrelatively short and allows for maximum support and stretch since thetop portion 23 is proximate or adjacent to the circumferential portion13 and is designed to be below the belly of a wearer. The joining seam17 is designed not to interfere with or constrict a protruding abdomenshape since it is spaced from the circumferential portion 13 and thebelly panel 3.

FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the garment 1 of the present invention.Garment 1 includes a back panel 9 having a contoured top edge 11 whichcurves in an upward direction with the sides being higher than thecenter. The back panel 9 is designed to cover the wearer's back regionbeginning from above the hip and extending to the lower back. FIGS. 1and 2 show a circumferential portion 13, which is designed to extendcircumferentially around the wearer's torso. The circumferential portionextends all the way around the garment 1. The circumferential portion 13is stitching which joins back panel 9 to the rear hip portions 15. AtFIG. 1, the circumferential portion 13 is stitching which joins thefront portion 25 with the front upper thigh portions 27. The uppermostportions 43 of the garment 1 are shown at FIG. 2. Preferably, an elasticband (see FIG. 8) extends around uppermost portions 43 and helps thegarment 1 stay on the body of the wearer. The elastic band defined byuppermost portions 43 can extend circumferentially around the top of thegarment 1. The dotted line at the top of FIG. 2 shows the location ofthe elastic band on the back of the garment 1. The elastic band extendsall the way around the back and front of garment 1 at the uppermostportions 43 of the garment 1.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the garment of the present invention. FIG. 3shows upper stitching 37, middle stitching 39, and lower stitching 41which separate and/or connect different portions of the garment 1.

FIG. 4 shows a front view of the garment of the present inventionshowing the location of different kinds of fabric, such as one layer andtwo layer structures. Any one or more portions can include one, two, ormore layers and these can be made with the performance fabric. A frontportion 25 of the garment 1 can be double layered to support the abdomenof the wearer. The front portion 25 can be a fabric panel which extendsfrom the circumferential portion 13 to the front seamwork 5. In otherwords, the front portion 25 is positioned between the belly panel 3 andthe front upper thigh portions 27 and can form the intersection betweenbelly panel 3 and the front upper thigh portions 27. The curvature(e.g., substantially U-shaped) of front portion 25 is specificallydesigned to follow the human body's natural curve during pregnancy whenthe abdomen protrudes away from the body above the pelvic region of thebody. The front upper thigh portions 27 can also be made of adouble-layered material that can be made of knitted fabric. Any of thefabric structures, especially the double layered structures of garment 1can be made of knitted fabric. Any of the fabric structures of garment 1can be made of one or more of the following: nylon (such as Supplexbranded nylon or other types of nylon), spandex (such as Lycra brandedspandex or materials containing polyurethane or polyether-polyureacopolymers), polyester (such as Coolmax branded polyester), cotton,rayon, and/or wool. Fabric made of these materials is described hereinas “performance fabric”. One of the advantages of the performancefabrics of the present invention is that they do not need to be coated.In other words, they do not need to be coated in a chemical whichdeposits on the surface during manufacturing. Single and double layerscan be made of the same fabric, such as a performance fabric. Multiplelayers increase support. The layers are preferably made of the samematerial so they have the same stretchiness.

The crotch area 53 (see FIG. 9) may have different fabrics since one ormore layers can be absorbent layers and can be made of the performancefabric while the outermost layer of the crotch area can be made of awater proof material to stop leakage of fluids. The garment 1 has frontupper thigh portions 27 located immediately below the circumferentialportion 13, and the front upper thigh portions 27 can also be made ofthe performance fabric. The stitching of the seamwork 5 can be made ofpolyester and/or nylon and can have a dual stitch structure. Theseamwork 5 helps maintain the position of the garment 1 and can stretchover a protruding abdomen.

FIG. 4 also shows center portions 29. These can also be made of single,or double-layered fabric, or can have additional layers and is made ofthe performance fabric and can include a waterproof layer as a singlelayer or in addition to the performance fabric layer or layers. Frontleg portions 33 can be made of single layer fabric to reduce materialusage and cost. The inner thigh portions identified as center portions29, the front thigh portions identified as front upper thigh portions27, and the pelvic regions also identified by the upper thigh portions27 can all include one, two, or more layers which include theperformance fabric.

FIG. 5 shows a back view of the garment of the present invention showingthe location of different kinds of fabric, such as one layer and twolayer structures. Any portion can have two layers. If cost is a concern,then some portions can be made of single layers, such as the rear hipportions 15. The back panel 9 can be made of double layered fabric or afabric with more than two layers. The center portions 29, which extendfrom the front of the garment 1 to the back of the garment 1 can be madeof a double layered fabric or can have more than two layers. Rear legportions 35 can be made of a single layer fabric if cost is an issuealthough they can also be made with two layers. Any fabric of garment 1,whether single or double layered (or having more than two layers) can bemade to have the following characteristics: moisture wicking,lightweight, breathable, mildew resistant, and fast drying. Thesefabrics can be made of one or more of the following materials: nylon(such as Supplex branded nylon or other types of nylon), spandex (suchas Lycra branded spandex or materials containing polyurethane orpolyether-polyurea copolymers), polyester (such as Coolmax brandedpolyester), cotton, rayon, and/or wool. Fabrics made of these materialsshall be referred to in this application as “performance fabrics” andthe materials to make the performance fabrics can be referred to hereinas “performance materials”. All of the fabrics of the garment 1 can beperformance fabrics except in situations where a leak proof layer isincluded as part of center portions 29 or the crotch area (see FIG. 9).The double layered portions are more likely to have the desiredcharacteristics although in some situations one layer is used to reducecost. Center portions 29 are stitched to the front upper thigh portions27 and rear leg portions 35 (See FIGS. 4, 5) via stitching 31 and can beconstructed to be leak proof by virtue of having a waterproof layer.This waterproof layer can be made from the following: nylon (such asSupplex branded nylon or other types of nylon), spandex (such as Lycrabranded spandex or materials containing polyurethane orpolyether-polyurea copolymers), polyester (such as Coolmax brandedpolyester), cotton, rayon, and/or wool. It is noted that the terms“waterproof” and “leak proof” are intended to be the same and usedinterchangeably in this patent application.

In the present invention, a waterproof layer is a layer that has beenchemically treated to be waterproof. The chemical treatment includestreating with a polymer which is waterproof and, preferably, hasmoisture permeability for comfort. The chemical treatment can be achemical which is coated or laminated onto the fabric and willpreferably be microporous to allow moisture permeability. The chemicaltreatment can be mad of polymers including one or more of polyethylene,polyurethane, polytetrafluoroethylene, and polyester. Information onchemical treatments for fabrics can be found at, for example, U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0355812. The disclosure of U.S.Patent Application Publication No. 2017/0355812 is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

FIG. 6 shows a partial enlarged front view of the garment according tothe present invention. In particular, FIG. 6 shows the seamwork 5including flatlock stitching. The flatlock stitching of seamwork 5 ismade from synthetic threads, such as polyester and/or nylon threads.Such material for the seamwork 5 reduces the occurrence of chafing incomparison with other materials such as cotton since the polyesterand/or nylon can be very soft. The seamwork 5 can have horizontalstitching 7, 47 which extends along the length of the seamwork 5, suchas in two parallel stitched lines. The horizontal stitching 7, 47 can bemade of polyester. The remaining stitching 49 can be wavy and can extendin a sinusoidal curve along the length of the seamwork 5 and can definecurves which extend between the two parallel stitched lines ofhorizontal stitching 7, 47. Nylon can be used for the remainingstitching 49. The use of nylon and polyester in combination in thethread allows the material to stretch while retaining shape. Polyesterholds together well and nylon helps with stretchiness. Thus, theflatlock stitching of seamwork 5 can have two types of threads.

The combination of a contoured seamwork 5 with flatlock stiching madefrom thread such as polyester and/or nylon helps to maintain elasticityand maintain a strong and high quality stitch. In other words, theseamwork 5 can include coverstitches and the thread used for thecoverstitches can be made of polyester and/or nylon. The coverstitcheshelp maintain the position of the fabric and can stretch over aprotruding abdomen. A crotch gusset can be included as part of thecrotch portion 53 (see FIG. 9), and this can be made of a structurehaving one, two, or more layers, and one of the layers can be leakproof. Preferably, the structure has two layers and includes theperformance fabric and a leak proof layer.

FIG. 7 shows a partial enlarged rear view of the garment according tothe present invention. The numerals used in the Figures identify thesame portions if the same numeral is used. For example, numeral 9 inFIG. 7 identifies a back panel 9 which is the same as back panel 9 inFIGS. 2 and 5.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of the garment according to the presentinvention. Back panel 9 as well as belly panel 3 are folded over therubber elastic 45 (otherwise referred to as elastic band 45) with thetop portion 43 seen at the top of FIG. 8. The stitching of the backpanel 9 folded over the rubber elastic can be coverstitches and thethread used for the coverstitches can be made of polyester and/or nylon.For example, top threads of the coverstitches can be made of polyesterand the bottom ones can be made of nylon, or vice-versa. The stitchingcan also be the same as seamwork 5 (see FIG. 6). The coverstitches helpmaintain the position of the rubber plastic and can stretch along withthe rubber plastic over a protruding abdomen. As stated above, bellypanel 3 (shown at FIG. 1) can also be folded over rubber elastic 45 andstitched in the same way as back panel 9.

FIG. 9 shows a partial bottom view of garment 1 and depicts crotchgusset 51 on the crotch portion 53 of the garment 1. The crotch gussetcan be made of one, two, or more layers. One of the layers can be leakproof [nylon (such as Supplex branded nylon or other types of nylon),spandex (such as Lycra branded spandex or materials containingpolyurethane or polyether-polyurea copolymers), polyester (such asCoolmax branded polyester), cotton, rayon, and/or wool]. The other layeror layers can be made of the performance fabric.

Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience only and donot limit the invention.

Any aspect set forth in any embodiment or example may be used with anyother embodiment or example set forth herein.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the disclosed productswithout departing from the scope of the disclosure. Other examples ofthe disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art fromconsideration of the specification and practice of the disclosuredisclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only and that the present invention is notlimited to the details shown.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. Furthermore, to the extent that theterm “include,” “have,” or the like is used in the description or theclaims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to theterm “comprise” as “comprise” is interpreted when employed as atransitional word in a claim.

1. A garment comprising: a belly panel, a back panel, a front portion,and a contoured front seamwork positioned between the belly panel andthe front portion.
 2. The garment according to claim 1, wherein thecontoured front seamwork attaches the belly panel and the front portionand extends substantially in a U-shape.
 3. The garment according toclaim 1, wherein the contoured front seamwork comprises flatlockstitching formed by threads composed of polyester and threads composedof nylon.
 4. The garment according to claim 1, further comprising anelastic band at a top portion of the garment.
 5. The garment accordingto claim 1, further comprising front waist portions joined to front legportions by curved seams.
 6. The garment according to claim 1, whereinone or more portions of the garment comprises at least one materialselected from the group consisting of: nylon, spandex, polyester,cotton, rayon, and wool.
 7. The garment according to claim 1, whereinone or more potions of the garment consist of a fabric having two ormore layers.
 8. The garment according to claim 1, further comprising acrotch portion, which comprises a water proof layer.
 9. The garmentaccording to claim 1, further comprising center portions which comprisea water proof layer.
 10. The garment according to claim 1, wherein thefront portion and the contoured seamwork are positioned to support aprotruding belly of a wearer of the garment.
 11. The garment accordingto claim 8, wherein the water proof layer comprises a chemicaltreatment.
 12. The garment according to claim 8, wherein the water prooflayer comprises a water proof polymer treatment that has been coated orlaminated onto underlying fabric.
 13. The garment according to claim 9,wherein the water proof layer comprises a chemical treatment.
 14. Thegarment according to claim 9, wherein the water proof layer comprises awater proof polymer treatment that has been coated or laminated ontounderlying fabric.